PSU Recruiting Map

I was wandering around over at CNNSI.com when I came across a google maps application which allows you to view the recruiting progress of a school or conference in map form. For example, peep the PSU recruiting map.

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Or USC's:

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It is interesting to be able to get this sort of graphical comparison of recruiting classes. While college football is and always will be a regional sport, it is interesting to note how USC recruits on a national scale in comparison to PSU's very regional recruiting.

Which begs the question, should PSU be recruiting on a national scale or are the Lions getting what they need from the North East?

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

Recruiting: Via Internet Stalkery

We are over a week removed from Penn State's football season but it is never to soon to start thinking about recruiting. Sure, the lager from this year's season isn't warm yet and we are going to talk about recruiting? Absolutely.

Never fear. This recruiting edition is going to be light on the stats and blah, blah, blah; and heavy on awesome videos. The following is just a sample of some key positions that PSU may be looking at in the 2009 class. As I am want to say; BEHOLD THEIR EXCELLENCE!

Jelani Jenkins WLB 5-Star
Olney, MD (what is to say that LJSR can't get this kid out of Maryland and into Larryland?)

The kid is fucking fast and he hits like a sledgehammer. While PSU may seem stocked at LB, this guy seems like a singular talent and a potential All American. Definitely a good fit for LBU!

Kevin Newsome QB 4-Star
Chatham, VA

While he doesn't seem transcendent he has a rocket arm and good wheels. He seems more than capable of running the spread HD. DC-17 has one more year and Devlin has only one more year after that. PSU needs to recruit a QB.

Bryce McNeal WR 4-Star
Minneapolis, MN
AKA "B-Meezy"

The B-Meezy thing seems ridiculous, however, if you look at the tape, the kid possesses great acceleration as well as excellent moves. With three of the best WRs PSU has ever known leaving, it might be a good idea to try to restock the cupboard.

Curtis Dukes RB 4-Star COMMITTED!
Philadelphia, NY

PSU seems to have a solid stable of RBs. Royster, Green, Beachum, each seem like a good talent. However, experience teaches us that a good team is deep at RB, especially, a team that plays in cold weather.

COME TO PSU!!!

GET FIRED UP!

GO STATE! BEAT (insert Pac-10 team here!)

Maryland Renamed Larryland!

Maryland has been forced to change it's name from "Mary-Land" to Larry-land! The following will be recorded for prosperity:Learn it. Love it. LARRYLAND!

This is, of course, because Larry Johnson SR continues to dive down into Larryland and recruit their best talent to cross the Mason-Dixon line and put on the Blue and White. This is all because FOS is announcing that PSU just landed Sean Stanley a four star Defensive Lineman out of Larryland.

I love you LJSR. I love you for having a beastly son. I love you because you are a recruiting god and easily the third most important coach on the PSU staff. Most importantly, I love you because "Larryland is for Lovers!"

What's that Larry? You have something to say? The floor is yours, sir!

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

Pryor Visits PSU

Tyrrelle Pryor will be in State College this weekend. More specifically, he will be there to play in the PIAA AA Boys Championship game at the BJC. (HT: Gumbercules at BSD)

Whether this is an official visit or just an un-official visit it is still a great opportunity for TP to check out the campus and some of the facilities. However, TP won't get much of a taste of what PSU is like as all the students are off on spring break. For me, there is nothing better than State College on a crisp fall Saturday but, I guess a Saturday in March will have to do.

Lets also hope that Bradley and Joepa can grab TP and show him some of what PSU has to offer. I'm thinking a stroll through Holuba hall, standing at the 50 yd line of Beaver Stadium, Looking out of the Tunnel and taking in the 107,000+ seats. Maybe let him take a look at the newly available #1 jersey in the Blue & White. That would really get to me. This could be your jersey, the greatest jersey in all of sports!
If you are in the central PA region, I urge you to make your "PSU LOVES TP" sign, get your ticket to the game, and get the kid fired up for PSU!

I AM FIRED UP!

GO STATE! PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD!

Blue White Roundtable: PSU's Signing Day

Mike from BSD brings us the questions this week. My take can be found below, however, you have got to check out our other, better contributors: RUTS, WWN, TNL and our NEW CONTRIBUTORS: Tangled Up In White & Blue and The Big Eleventh! On to the rapid fire questioning!

How well did Penn State address their needs with this recruiting class?

Not very well at all. The class as a whole seems to have some talent. However, the needs of the program were not covered very well. The RB position seems to have two guys ready to run in the fall, Stephon Green and Evan Royster. Granted, both of these guys seem like solid young talents; if you aren't excited to see Green in the Blue-White Game you are retarded. Adding Brandon Beachum certainly helped, however, losing Michael Shaw was a solid kick in the nuts. Having three RBs seems a lot worse than having four, doesn't it? My nuts will be sore until next year.

The entire Defensive backfield seems to be widely ignored. The on exception being D'antton Lynn. D'Antton Lynn should be a great Safety and should see PT right away as the safety position is a major question mark right now. Justin King, Ruben, Ganter are gone. And yet all we got was Lynn. More will be leaving next year. It seems like we could have been much more pro-active with recruiting DBs.

A.J. Price was the only WR in this year's class. Granted, we only lost Golden this year to graduation but next year we lose just about everybody. Butler, Norwood, Williams will graduate, Bell has been suspended (though a return seems likely when his grades improve). Right there you have a big need at WR. It was a need this year but next year at this time it will be A MUST!

Who was the big fish that got away? The kid you really really wish we had landed?

Shaw. Hands down. TP is still in play so PSU might be good in that regard. However, everybody felt so confident about Shaw that having him move to Buttigan at the last minute hurt.

You’re NCAA President Miles Brand. Take a break from counting your BCS cash for a minute. What would you do to improve the recruiting process?

There is an argument to be made to let guys commit earlier if that's what they want to do. Or, we could go back to the old days where recruits were undecided until they showed up on campus! I pretty much think recruiting is good where it is. I mean, i really don't care how many text messages a kid gets. Though, banning pic-texts of naked co-eds seems to take all the fun out of it.

Now you’re Joe Paterno. So I guess prepare to dodge the question. What would you change about Penn State’s recruiting strategy?

Aaah, jee, you guys make a bigger deal out of this than I do. I don't know. I really don't. I think we go out there and recruit a lot of really great kids. I mean, first you guys are upset that we don't recruit athletes now you tell me to recruit football players. Larry is out there, Jay is out there. We have everything under control. What's that? Prior? What do I think about him? I think we have done really well in the past. Tyrrelle Pryor? I think he could be a very good football player one day.

Lightning Round
Where will Terrelle Pryor go to school? Or should he just live off the hype for the next few years and directly enter the NFL draft in 2010?

He should go to Penn-Fucking-State! Going to Tosu would be a bad move. I don't think TP even knows how to commit any of the various felonies that occur in Columbus on a daily basis.

There will be to much pressure at Michigan. They will be in their first year of a coach who is installing a new offense and he would be the presumptive starter in that offense. He would be surrounded by inexperienced guys and he would have to try to win every game.

PSU, however, he could red shirt a year. Watch Clarke run what is sure to be a spread offense in the fall. Then be ready to start in 2009. Solid. Fucking. Gold.

Which member of this class stands the best chance to make an immediate impact?

D'Antton Lynn. PSU is terribly thin at safety right now and there is no reason why he wouldn't be able to go out and win a starting role this summer.

I AM FIRED THE FUCK UP! SO IS THIS CHICK!Found at barstoolsports.com

GO STATE! GET FIRED UP FOR THE BLUE & WHITE GAME!

Pryor Breathes New Life Into PSU's Hopes

If you aren't signed up with Scout.com or Rivals you can get your PSU commitment fix over at GoPSF.com.

It has already hit the wire that mega-recruit Tyrrelle Pryor is not going to sign today, Mr. Pryor is going to delay his commitment in order to take an official visit to PSU! (peep it at ESPN.com)

"He wants to give Penn State and maybe a couple other schools a fair shot by making a visit before he makes a decision that is going to affect him for the rest of his life."

This, to be perfectly honest, is huge for PSU. Three weeks ago it looked as though Penn State didn't have a prayer at landing the biggest recruit in both PA and the Nation. All it took was a visit from a living legend to bring PSU right back into the mix.

At this point, I think PSU has just as good a chance of landing Pryor as Michigan or the Buckeyes. So get ready Happy Valley. Polish those walls and get fired up!

Recruiting Is Awesome!

Letter of Intent day is upon us! Rejoice, for it gives us something to talk about during the beginning of what is a very, very, long off-season. It is like a tiny flame in the night; huddle around it and feel its warmth! Your wife or girlfriend doesn't understand! Your co-workers call you creepy for perusing a site where they talk about the physical attributes and wishes of 18 year old boys! Screw them! This is important, dammit!

If you are creepy enough to follow recruiting, and we all know that you are at least as creepy as me, you know that Tyrrelle Pryor will be making a decision (maybe) on where he'll attend classes in the fall. From all the gossip, it seems to be narrowed down to Tosu, Mich., and PSU as his final three choices. If you listen to the rumors, and you know I do, it seems that the Buckeyes have the inside track, followed by the Wolverines, with the Nittany Lions holding out a fools hope of landing the #1 recruit in the nation.

Believe me, it will hurt if PSU watches the #1 recruit in the nation (who happens to live in PA BTW) drift over to another neighboring school. It'll just hurt. If you can't keep talent like that in state there is a problem.

But lets be realistic, this is just another form of competition for us college football fanatics. A way for your team to "Win" during the off-season. If you land a good recruit over a rival team you have shown the world that your school is superior! The co-eds are prettier, the facilities nicer, and the football team with the most potential. However, these pre-season rankings have little to do with how a player actually pans out in college. It takes another dash of luck, hard-work, and perseverance for a recruit to emerge as a star in college.

In short, go ahead and get worked up over Pryor and the rest of the recruits. Lord knows, I already am. But remember that the season doesn't end on February 6th.

PSU Recruiting Video Database

I spent some time Youtubing around to show you the videos out there on PSU's 2008 recruitting class. If a player isn't listed below I couldn't find it. Enjoy:

A.J. Price (3-Star WR



D'Anton Lynn (4-Star Safety)





Michael Shaw (4-Star RB)



Brandon Beachum (4-Star RB)



Michael Zordich (4-Star MLB)



Enjoy!

I'm Already getting fired up for the fall!

GO STATE!

PSU's Pryor Update!

As has been streaming around the internet today, Joe, Jay, Bradley, and McQueary trekked up to Jeannette to talk to Tyrelle Pryor. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, it went: "OK". But what the devil does Ok mean? It means it went terribly.

When TP spoke of his impression of the visit he responded:

"It went OK," Pryor said of the meeting. "I just don't know about the area up there. I don't know if I'd like being in that kind of area."

Is that a comment on the ruralness? You don't like places where there are cows? Happy Valley is not a throbbing metropolis by any means but it does have state of the art facilities and 100,000+ screaming fans on game days! (Though, it has been rumored that Michigan has those things too. Regardless of what people say I'll never believe them. I like to picture Ann Arbor (whore) as a stadium and nothing more. I prefer not to even think it exists as anything else.)

Seriously though: "I don't know about the area"?

Sounds like that's could be a veiled statement of the following:

- y'all are a bunch of crazy white-ies....I meant the whiteout. And you're crazy. And Caucasian.
- Joe is OLD!
- Jay tried to explain the "HD offense" to me but ended up sobbing on the floor.
- Seriosly, y'all are white. Where's LJSR?
- Scholarship? PFFFT! TP wants a ride, SON!?!!?!?


GO STATE! MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION MR PRYOR!

Brandon Ware Commits To PSU

FOS is reporting that Ware got an offer to play at PSU and he accepted it.

Ware is a big Defensive tackle who lists at 6'4" 340 Lbs. out of Harrisburg.

PSU proved its depth on the Defensive line this year after repeated injuries and off the field problems. However, it is always good to add another massive option on the defensive interior as we saw how younger players can be quickly thrust to the forefront in 2007.


Image from Scout.com

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

Farrell to PSU

Scout.com is reporting that Mike Farrell has committed to play football for PSU. Mike is list 2-start offensive tackle. No, not the guy from MASH; the 6'5" 285 lineman from Shady Side Academy.

He might only be listed as a 2-star but this kid seems to have tons of upside. As he is only 285 LBs currently but you have to figure that he could put another 50 Lbs onto his 6'5" frame with some dedication to the weight room and training table. Think "lean protein", baby!




GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD! EAT THEM PROTEINS!

Square Peg Meet Round Hole

Mike over at BSD has a really great post up about Five Reasons For Concern in 2008. It is an exceptional post and you need to go read it right now. Mike's post got me thinking when he made a great point

"Joe has to make up his mind. He can't recruit the players to run the spread and still think three yards and a cloud of dust."

This is a great observation because it addresses the heart of Penn State's issues.

It isn't that PSU isn't getting quality recruits, it is clear that recruiting has been quite good the last few years but you have to recruit the players you want for your system. If you want to run a run-heavy attack that is fine but you should focus on some big-ass lineman and powerful RBs. Recruiting WRs, speedy RBs, and running QBs for a conservative offense is the proverbial square peg to the round hole. They are great talents who would be welcome at any school in the country but they will never live up to their potential if they aren't used properly.

After the 2005 season M-Rob departed as one of the most beloved players in Penn State history (at least in my mind). With Robinson leaving, PSU coming off of a huge year, an Orange Bowl victory, wouldn't you kind of expect any other program in the country to stick with what was working (their "scheme/plan/offense of choice")? Running QB, Powerful RB, spread the field as much as Joe was ever willing to do? No. Instead, we opt for Morelli who has a rocket for an arm but the top speed of Mangino.

I'm not saying I wasn't interested in seeing Morelli play in 2006, I think everybody was excited about his potential. However, it is clear that Joe has no "scheme" besides conservative and we aren't recruiting a conservative offense. Clearly, it can be helpful to be flexible and roll with the offense which best fits your talent but at some point a general plan of attack has got to be made.

At the end of the day all I want is for a decision to be made. The staff needs to decide if PSU will come kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a spread offense or recruit linemen of exceptional girth and win games with defense and ball control.

GO STATE!

Recruiting

Laschout is reporting that Jack Crawford (a native of England and stand-out DE prospect) is going to verbally commit to play for PSU. This is good news for a number of reasons. First, the D-line has just recently been decimated by injuries and the more depth you can add the better. Second, it has been much more difficult to recruit out of NJ the last few years with the rise of Rutgers. Getting a solid NJ commit is a much bigger deal than it was five years ago.
I hope this news is all true, if so, welcome to PSU Mr. Crawford!

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

Fired Up!

Brandon Beachum has committed to PSU. He is from Ohio (eat that TOSU!) and he is a running back. Whew. It is nice to finally land a solid RB recruit, and boy could we use one. The only visual proof of his excellence, that I could find, is below.


Here is another fabulous reason to get fired up for the fall!



The fall just can't get here soon enough.

GO STATE!

Miscellaneous News and Beyond!

Traditionally, and by traditionally I mean in the last 3 weeks, Fridays are spent breaking down one of PSU's 2007 opponents. This week Michigan is in our sites, however, since 87% of you think Michigan will be Penn State's biggest test this year I'm saving the preview for Monday. I'm also trying to make it something special so you can put away your ravenous hate of Michigan and let it simmer over the weekend.

BSD has an excellent post on the Shaw situation and what not to tell recruits. I shall now weigh in on some things I think you shouldn't tell a prospective player:

10. I sure hope you brought your sunblock. It gets sunny as shit around here!
9. Here at Penn State we really like to open things up on offense. I mean we like to get CRAZY!
8. Hey guys, get a load of this: The kid thinks he is going to start this year!
7. We've replaced loading our playbooks into NCAA College Football 2008 with scrawling the plays in feces on your dorm room wall.
6. Dude, your Mom is SMOKING hot!
5. Jay Paterno once drank 64 beers in the locker room before a game.
4. Mike Bradley actually killed, and then ate, Jerry Sandusky to gain his wisdom.
3. When I went to Penn State WE didn't know the goddamn words....You guys Totally know them! FAKERS!
2. We've adopted the FSU approach to excellence. (cheating, cheating, and BOWDEN!)
1. I hope you like Ohio State because we fucking love them!

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

Yancich Commits to PSU

Mike Yancich committed to come and play football for PSU in 2008, Fight on State is reporting. He is a 4 star recruit LB recruit who just couldn't turn down an invite from Joe Paterno to come and play for Linebacker U!

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

BSD, as always, has the scoop.

Terrelle Pryor.....With Video!

Tyrelle Pryor is widely regarded as the best high school football player in American and i sthe kind of talent any kind program would be ecstatic to get.
After scanning Youtube.com for a while someone has finally posted some video of the man. He looks like the real deal to me!



Pryor had recently narrowed his list of schools down, PSU made the cut. Make the right Decision Terrelle! Go to PSU!

GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD!

#1 on Rivals 100
#1 on ESPN 150
#4 on Scout Hot 100

Poaching the Nuts Backyard

Michael Zordich committed to Penn State the other day. Zordich is a 6'2" 210 LB prospect, even though he grew up in Youngstown his commitment to PSU comes as no surprise. This is mainly because his Dad (Mike Zordich Sr.) played for PSU in the 80s before playing for the Iggles.

This is a satisfying recruit for a number of reasons. It is always great to get a legacy recruit because it shows that families still have a strong connection to Penn State. (on a side note; is there a family out there who has had three generations play for Joepa?) But this recruit is particularly sweet because he lives in the Buckeye's backyard but will be wearing the Blue & White when it counts!


It is also sweet because Tosu had recently recruited Andrew Sweat (a PA standout) to come and indulge in their misguided, classless, debacle known as a football program. So, eat that Buckeyes! Turnabout is fair play!


GO STATE! RECRUIT HARD! EAT IT BUCKEYES!

Recruiting Loss

Penn State lost out on a big time prospect (A.J. Alexander) and, to make matters worse, he grew up in Altoona and is going to play for the Criminoles. You can see the devastating news for yourself here. It is always frustrating to lose a top-recruit to another school but it really hurts when the player is a local kid.
Good luck, Mr. Alexander. I hope you made the right choice (and that I don't see your name on an indictment anytime soon. Because that could NEVER happen at Penn State.....insert State Penn/Penn State joke here....Sigh)

GO STATE! CLIMB BACK ON YOUR HIGH-HORSE!

Signing Day

Green was the big fish left in the pond for PSU on signing day, however, he was landed by Pete Carroll and his merry band of deep-sea-fishing gurus. When I heard that USC had landed ANOTHER 5-star RB recruit earlier the day I thought: "hear is our chance!". This brief glimmer of hope was crushed as Green chose the Trojans.
PSU still has had a very solid recruiting class and will probably land a few more choice recruits. Probably.

Le Sigh

Go State! Get Fired Up For Spring Ball!